Auckland Council’s Community Committee has reached out to the government for assistance after observing a 53 percent rise in the number of people sleeping rough in the city over a four-month period.
The data also shows a decrease in the number of Aucklanders in emergency housing, dropping from 735 households in January of last year to 45 this January.
In January, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka stated that 80 percent of individuals leaving emergency housing were transitioning to social, transitional, or private housing.
However, Housing First Auckland program manager Rami Alrudani disclosed that outreach workers at his organization were encountering a growing homelessness crisis on a daily basis, attributing the surge to rising unemployment, housing shortages, and the government’s restrictions on emergency housing.
Last year, stricter entry requirements and new regulations making it harder to remain in emergency housing long-term were implemented.
Christopher Luxon refuted claims that these measures were contributing to the rise in homelessness.
“We are committed to combating homelessness and have made significant strides in addressing emergency housing concerns. Unfortunately, these efforts have not received much attention from the media,” Luxon stated.
He highlighted the stability of rents under his government, a decrease in the social housing waitlist, and the successful transition of individuals from emergency housing to permanent homes.
Luxon emphasized the government’s efforts to ensure that families were not living in motels and were instead placed in suitable housing.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins acknowledged that relying solely on emergency housing was not a sustainable solution and emphasized Labour’s focus on building more homes to address the housing crisis.
Hipkins criticized Luxon for being “out of touch” with the realities of homelessness and raised concerns about the lack of tracking for individuals leaving emergency accommodation, potentially leading to a return to homelessness for some.
